A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

The dwarves built a stand over several campfires, placed pots on it, and simmered broth.

Aaron could smell the aroma, but looking at the grayish soup in the pot, he lost his appetite and simply ordered some meat pieces to prepare his own dinner.

As night fell, the dwarves prepared dinner, but almost everyone's eyes were drawn to Aaron, especially the largest one.

Suck!

Pangbo wiped his drool. "Noli, I'm hungry."

"Eat if you're hungry." Nori handed a bowl of stewed meat to Pang Bo. "You have a big appetite, so I gave you a little more."

"You know what I'm talking about?"

"How dare you ask a child for food?" Nori said disdainfully. "Don't embarrass the dwarves."

"Aren't you watching too?"

"It smells so good! I haven't smelled this fragrance in years."

“That’s just because I added a little too much seasoning.” Bilbo breathed in the aroma. “I do it like that when I make kebabs, but not this much.”

"Mr. Baggins, dinner is ready."

"Coming!" Bilbo immediately put down his soup bowl and ran quickly to Aaron.

"Stop looking." Nori patted Pangbo's belly speechlessly. "The mushrooms and seasonings were provided by Baggins, there's none for you."

"How about we let Gaius cook the next meal?"

"No way! How can a dwarf like us have to ask a child to help with cooking? We'd be so ashamed if word got out!"

Look at Sorin, then look at Bahrain and Dwarin; they all seem so nonchalant!

Upon hearing this, Pang Bo swallowed hard, feeling a pang of sadness, picked up his bowl, and began to eat heartily, savoring the aroma of the skewers.

The others also turned their attention away and silently ate their stew.

“Gaius, I had no idea you were such a good cook.” Bilbo munched on a skewer of roasted meat, giving a thumbs up as he ate. “Much better than mine.”

“My ancestors were cooks,” Aaron said modestly. “I only learned a little bit.”

"How come your ancestors had everything?"

"Uh...who knows? Maybe it's just out of interest."

After a simple dinner, Aaron and Bilbo walked up to Nori and each took a bowl of stew.

However, it's not for myself; it's for Fili and Chili.

The two of them had to look after the pony and weren't in the camp, so they had to rely on the fastest thief in the group to deliver it to them.

However, when they delivered the food, they saw the two dwarf brothers standing there blankly, looking completely bewildered.

"What's wrong?" Bilbo asked.

“We should keep an eye on the pony,” Kiri said.

"But a small problem arose."

"There were supposed to be sixteen ponies, but now there are only fourteen left."

"What?"

Aaron looked ahead in astonishment and found that his horse was still there. Although he was angry, he was also relieved.

"How could you do your job like this, just watching the horse get lost?"

The dwarf brothers exchanged an awkward glance and then stepped forward to investigate.

“Daisy and Bongo are missing,” Kiri said.

“I can tell without you saying it.” A serious look flashed in Aaron’s eyes. “The question is, how did they disappear?”

"The big tree was uprooted, and there were huge footprints on the ground."

My fears came true; the creatures that attacked the farmer's family hadn't left the area at all; they were still nearby.

“This is bad, absolutely terrible. That thing is huge and very dangerous,” Bilbo said with some concern. “Aren’t we going to tell Thorin?”

“No, don’t worry him.” Philip was somewhat reluctant. “As our thieves, perhaps you should investigate.”

“I can’t agree with that.” Aaron shook his head. “It’s necessary to tell the leader before we’re sure we can defeat the enemy, at least to put them on their guard.”

“Look, there are lights.” Philip suddenly lowered his voice and then beckoned to the group. “Come here.”

The group tiptoed over several broken trees and cautiously crouched down to look at the campfire in the distance.

Exaggerated laughter came from the campfire, which instantly reminded Aaron of trolls.

"What is that?" Bilbo asked nervously.

“Ogre,” Qili said.

He was about to move forward when Aaron pressed him down with one hand. "Calm down, we don't even know what's going on over there yet!"

Before he finished speaking, Philip darted out.

Having stopped his younger brother but not his older brother, Aaron had no choice but to let go and follow against his will.

After running for several dozen meters, the four of them hid behind large trees, behaving very cautiously.

Two ogres were sitting around the campfire. They were as tall as giants, but much fatter, and they were more intelligent than giants, even able to speak human language.

Just then, the woods rustled, and a third troll walked by, carrying a pony in each of its two thick arms.

Aaron's face darkened instantly when he saw the white pony he was holding in his right hand; he was furious.

They dare to grab my horse? They're asking for trouble!

Chapter 238 Even a righteous gang fight can't beat them.

“They also captured Little Peach and Mint.” Bilbo glared angrily at the trolls walking past. “They’re going to eat the horse. We need to figure something out.”

"You need to think of something." Chili and Philip both turned their gazes to him simultaneously. "You're small enough that they're too slow and clumsy to see you."

Bilbo paused for a moment, then understood what Kili meant. He was to use his smaller size to sneak into the troll camp and release the pony.

"I...no, no, I can't..."

"It's alright, we've got your back," Qili said confidently.

"Stop talking like that!" Aaron rolled his eyes. "That's not a good idea."

“Yes.” Bilbo nodded in deep agreement. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Qili frowned slightly. “The thieves can release the horses silently, and then we can safely retreat back to camp.”

"What if Bilbo gets discovered? Are you sure the three of us small guys can protect him?"

"If we had that kind of ability, we wouldn't be hiding here," Aaron said seriously. "My suggestion is to inform Thorin; fifteen and a half against three has a better chance of winning."

"Fifteen and a half? It should be fourteen and a half, right?" Bilbo thought of the number of people in the expedition: thirteen dwarves, hobbits, human children, and Gandalf the Grey.

Thirteen dwarves and hobbits make fourteen, Gandalf, the Grey Wizard, makes two, and the human child... makes half.

But now that Gandalf is not here, they can only muster fourteen and a half men.

"No, I mean the dwarves count as thirteen, I count as two, and you count as half."

Bilbo's lips twitched. "That's...a really bad description."

"This is not the time to discuss this. I'll go inform Thorin. You all stay here and keep watch."

As soon as Aaron turned around, the three of them called out to him in unison.

"what happened again?"

"What if they attack the ponies?" Philip said with some concern. "Ogres don't care if they're alive or not."

As soon as he finished speaking, the troll's clumsy voice reached the three of them.

"We ate mutton yesterday, we ate mutton today, and it looks like we'll eat mutton tomorrow too."

"Stop complaining, this isn't sheep, it's fresh horse meat."

"I've never liked horses; their meat isn't fatty enough."

"It's better than being a dry, hard farmer, all skin and bones. I'm still picking my teeth now."

......

Aaron sighed deeply, "Try to stall for time as much as possible!"

But I must remind you: horses are important, but our lives are more important.

Prioritize your own safety above all else. Avoid direct confrontations with them. If all else fails, try to lead them towards the camp.

A draw is always better than a futile struggle, understand?

Philip and Chili exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"That's good. I'll be back soon."

Seeing Aaron run off into the distance, the two dwarf brothers turned their attention back to Bilbo. "Flying Thief, it's up to you now."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not going to make me go again, are you?" Bilbo asked incredulously. "Wasn't what he said clear enough?"

“But our method can also buy time,” Philip said. “You go first, and if you can’t rescue Little Horse, then the two of us will go.”

The expedition camp isn't far from here; Thorin and the others will be here to help soon.

"This, really, I..."

"Believe in yourself." Philip patted him on the shoulder. "You don't want Xiaotao to be eaten by ogres, do you?"

Bilbo swallowed hard, looked at the reddish-brown pony trembling behind the three trolls, made up his mind, and took a small step forward.

......

Aaron raced through the jungle, but soon ran into Thorin and the other dwarves, who were carrying their own weapons.

"Thank goodness, it seems you've noticed something's wrong too."

“It was just delivering food, anyone would know something was wrong if they hadn’t come back for so long,” Thorin said bluntly. “Where are Fili, Chili, and Bilbo?”

“Follow me.” Aaron led the way while telling Thorin and the others what had just happened.